Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Kiamara.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Kiamara.
The new Impatiens is a product of a planned breeding program Inventor in Gensingen, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new Impatiens cultivars with interesting and unique flower and foliage colors.
The new Impatiens originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in September, 1998 of a proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection identified as 245/97, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection identified as 077/97, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The cultivar Kiamara was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Gensingen, Germany in April, 1999.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Gensingen, Germany, since May, 1999, has shown that the unique features of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Kiamaraxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Kiamaraxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Impatiens cultivar:
1. Rounded, upright and compact plant habit.
2. Freely branching growth habit; bushy appearance.
3. Dark green-colored foliage.
4. Freely flowering habit.
5. Purple-colored flowers with red purple-colored centers.
Plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the female parent, the selection 245/97, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens are not as vigorous as plants of the 245/97.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens have narrower leaves than plants of the 245/97.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flower earlier than plants of the 245/97.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens have purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the 245/97 have dark red-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the male parent, the selection 077/97, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens are more vigorous than plants of the selection 077/97.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens have more green-colored leaves than plants of the selection 077/97.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flower later than plants of the selection 077/97.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens have darker colored flowers than plants of the selection 077/97.
Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of the cultivar Bora Bora, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,421. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gensingen, Germany, plants of the new Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar Bora Bora in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens were more compact and not as vigorous as plants of the cultivar Bora Bora.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens had darker green-colored leaves than plants of the cultivar Bora Bora.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flowered about one week earlier than plants of the cultivar Bora Bora.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens were more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Bora Bora.
5. Flower color of plants of the new Impatiens was more intense purple than flower color of plants of the cultivar Bora Bora.